Following the withdrawal of the U.S. military from Afghanistan, we are pleased to report that all our Fellowship alumni that were living in-country at the time were able to safely depart. While they settle into new realities across the globe and the people of Afghanistan continue to face many challenging circumstances, we'd like to take a moment to showcase a few of the talented Afghans within our alumni network and some of the important new projects and positions they have undertaken in recent months. Read on to hear their valuable insights and to learn about the interesting initiatives they are working on, as well as their suggestions on how we can best support the Afghan people in the period ahead.
In case you missed it: In October 2021, the CAMCA Network Board, the leadership body of our alumni network, released a statement in solidarity with our Afghan network members which voiced support for the people of Afghanistan, condemned the Taliban’s human rights violations and encouraged neighbors in the CAMCA region to bolster humanitarian aid to the country and its refugees.
Representing our Afghan Alumni Community...
Omaid Sharifi (Spring 2018 Fellow)
Current Roles: I am a Curator Artivist, President of ArtLords, Wartists, and a current Fellow at Mahindra Humanities Center at Harvard University.
Current Projects: I have been leading ArtLords global activities since being forced to leave Kabul, Afghanistan a week following the Taliban takeover of the capital, and recently established ArtLords and Wartists within the United States in the state of Virginia. I have also been working with various teams to help evacuate Afghan artists - specifically muralists - who worked for ArtLords and have been lucky to help 40+ artists and their families to safety. I continue my work through organizing exhibitions around the world raising awareness around the plight of Afghan people and have been painting murals along with members of the ArtLords team in Europe and North America. The aim of these art advocacy events is to raise the voices of millions of Afghans who are taken hostage by the Taliban regime. I am also working to curate and publish a coffee table book on the work of ArtLords in Afghanistan and a book on Artivism – using art as a tool for social transformation is a key part of my fellowship at Harvard University.
One thing you would like to share with the broader international community about the Afghan people: The Afghan people are tired of over 4 decades of war. We have suffered and lost so much: our dignity, our blood, treasure and our country. We need a break from all the terrorist proxies, invasions and interferences. Please help us take a break.
Ways you would suggest that people can best support Afghan people in the period ahead: Be kind. Share a helping hand. Don’t look away from the biggest humanitarian disaster that is happening inside Afghanistan. Talk about it. Push your representatives to do the same.
Omaid in the news:
- Accepting the Inaugural Sheeran Prize for his bravery in helping 54 Afghan artists escape the country after the Taliban takeover in August 2021
- Featured in ABC News highlighting a mural painted in Albania as a thank you to the country for hosting Afghan refugees
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Omar Sharifi (Spring 2010 Fellow)
Current roles: I am currently a fellow and lecturer at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs and an Assistant Professor of Social Sciences at the American University of Afghanistan, as well as Country Director of the American Institute of Afghanistan Studies.
Current Projects: I am in the process of publishing my dissertation, as well as launching an Afghan Oral History Project to document the governance and democracy in Afghanistan pre-Taliban takeover.
One thing you would like to share with the broader international community about the Afghan people: I shared my insights and thoughts on this in my recently published article in The National Interest titled, “The Afghan Exodus is a Story of Civil Disobedience."
Ways you would suggest that people can best support Afghan people in the period ahead: Remain engaged with Afghanistan − particularly focusing on the struggle of Afghan men and women for human rights and women’s rights.
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Farishta Sakhi (Spring 2017 Fellow)
Current Role: I currently work with Freedom House as a Senior Program Manager for the Afghanistan Human Rights Coordination Mechanism.
Current Projects: Freedom House, alongside a core group of International and Afghan NGOs, has created a new Human Rights Coordination Mechanism to facilitate efforts that support Afghan human rights defenders and civil society leaders. Launched in early January, the Mechanism has since formed four Working Groups to better coordinate projects around protection, safety and reconstitution of human rights defenders in exile.
One thing you would like to share with the broader international community about the Afghan people: Over the last 20+ years, despite the people of Afghanistan having suffered immensely due to extremism and fundamentalism, Afghan people have always stood firmly with the international community in the protection and promotion of liberal values.
Ways you would suggest that people can best support Afghan people in the period ahead: The international community should ensure a robust monitoring of the human rights situation in Afghanistan and use its leverage to prevent further human rights violations. Currently, many Afghans who have been evacuated or have fled Afghanistan are in dire need of resettlement support in exile. The international community should ensure that they receive the right kind of support.
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Shoaib Rahim (Fall 2015 Fellow)
Current Roles: I am an Assistant Professor of Practice in Management at the American University of Afghanistan as well as a Visiting Research Scholar at The New School in New York. Alongside my work in academia, I am the Chairperson of the Board of the CAMCA (Central Asia-Mongolia-Caucasus-Afghanistan) Network and work with CAMCA Network members to strengthen regional identity and engagement.
Current Projects: The current focus of the CAMCA Network Board is to expand specialized platforms focusing on business, education, think tanks and media as well as to strengthen bilateral relationships among the CAMCA Network chapters. We believe that great bilateral potential exists among many of the CAMCA chapters. Identifying, cultivating and capitalizing on these bilateral relations will collectively lead to enhanced integration in CAMCA.
One thing you would like to share with the broader international community about the Afghan people: Our deep-rooted civilizational love of poetry and the diverse cuisines we have to offer.
Ways you would suggest that people can best support Afghan people in the period ahead: The people of Afghanistan have gone through a lot − and tougher times are ahead. Practicing empathy for those who are starting new lives elsewhere and compassion for the people of Afghanistan in our struggle is how the world can be supportive in these dark times.
Shoaib in the news:
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Abdul Wahid Wafa (Fall 2017 Fellow)
Current Roles: I have been hired by the Humanities Council/Journalism program at Princeton University to share my experiences as a former journalist in Afghanistan with Princeton students and to enhance the program with first-hand stories related to Afghanistan.
Current Projects: I would love to foster a strong network of Afghan journalists who have recently migrated to the U.S. and I am currently working on various initiatives related to this aim.
One thing you would like to share with the broader international community about the Afghan people: One thing that I would like to share about the Afghan people is that we had come a long way − despite many failures, there were many success stories that we can continue to build on to help Afghanistan and its people. This is a time that the International Community can help Afghanistan safeguard itself from going deeper into a quagmire of fundamentalism. Forgetting about Afghanistan and its people will risk the safety of the whole region and beyond.
Ways you would suggest that people can best support Afghan people in the period ahead: Thank you for the interest in exploring ways to help Afghans and Afghan refugees. Please use your networks to help younger Afghans find opportunities to study in the U.S., as well as aid established professionals in finding jobs and mobilizing them to keep Afghan voices alive in America.
Wahid in the news:
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Read more about our talented CAMCA Network members from Afghanistan at camcanetwork.com.